General · 20 February 2026
Climber fined €9,600 after girlfriend freezes on mountain
A court handed Thomas P a five-month suspended jail term for gross negligent manslaughter following Kerstin G’s death in January 2025. The judge ruled that the experienced mountaineer should have retreated from Austria’s Grossglockner peak because his partner lacked the necessary winter skills. Prosecutors stated he did not signal for help during the climb, despite facing windchill temperatures reaching -20C.
Reported by BBC · How we write briefs